831: Eight Letters Three Words One Meaning
by Froststar11
Summary: Harry Potter and Co. are back for their 8th year of school after the war ends... but things are about to get crazy, as usual... A secret admirer sends him a cryptic message on Valentine's Day! Full Summary inside! Rated M for a smutty reason! HPxDM
1. Prologue

_Full Summary: Harry Potter and Co. are back for their 8th year of school after the war ends. Harry is just hoping for a normal school year, his first one ever... But things are about to get crazy, as usual. When a secret admirer sends him a cryptic message on Valentines Day, what will Harry do? Will he ever figure out what it means? 831. Eight letters. Three words. One meaning._

_**A/N: Hey there, everyone! If you've read my other fics, you know that I'm a bit shy - I don't like letting people read the fanfiction that I write... But, well, after all of the positive feedback I've been getting for my other Drarry fic, What A Malfoy Wants, I decided to post this story as well. Don't make me regret it? Thanks. You'll also know that I need lots of reviews so that I know people like what I'm writing before I will post any future chapters. Seriously, I'm a very sensitive girl. I need some love, here :)**_

_**This was an idea I had quite some time ago, and fell in love with. It'll be my first fanfiction that isn't a one-shot or two-shot! I'm pretty excited about it, and you should be too :) As it stands, I'm looking at somewhere around twelve to fourteen chapters... Though knowing me, it'll wind up being twenty lol. But that's what I'm aiming for right now, in any case.**_

_**There aren't really many warnings for this story, for once lol... Though I will say this now: This is a HARRY POTTER X DRACO MALFOY fic, meaning that eventually they will be having steamy gay sex. Seriously, when I write smut, I write some intense smut. If that sort of thing doesn't appeal to you, you may want to be more careful when clicking on stories to read at such high ratings with male pairings, eh? So if you're not old enough to be reading this, don't, kay? Thanks ;) If you leave an idiotic review about how being gay is wrong, be sure to leave your name so I can ridicule you for your stupidity at the beginning of the next chapter.**_

_**DISCLAIMER: Not mine. If it were, well... -grins- Unfortunately, all that I can do is have some fun with the characters with stories like this one. -sigh-**_

_***Edited 4/17/13***_

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**.:Prologue:.**

The steady rocking of the Hogwarts Express easily lulled Head Boy Draco Malfoy into a calm, relaxed state as he let his gaze wash over his surroundings. His friends, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Theo, and Blaise were chatting freely, a sense of carefree abandon in the air that hadn't been present in previous years, when heavy expectations lead to an oppressive, calculated silence in the very same compartment. It was hard to believe that just a year ago, Lord Voldemort's presence had lingered just beyond sight, weighing heavily on each of the Slytherins' minds. Not one of the occupants of this particular compartment had wanted to join his ranks, but their parents had been pushing for them to take the mark for ages. Under this constant stress, the last year had been a bleak one.

However, all that had changed after the final battle, when Harry Potter killed the Dark Lord once and for all.

The downfall of Voldemort was a bittersweet one for the Malfoy heir. He was immensely pleased that he hadn't been forced to take the Dark Mark; forced to bow down to a raving half-blood hypocrite. However, with the end of the war came the Reconstruction, a time where rogue Death Eaters were rounded up and suspected Death Eaters were persecuted. The entire government was being reformed, preventing another take over. The wizarding world was clearing away the wreckage, beginning to rebuild their lives.

While many of the remaining Death Eaters were captured and sent to Azkaban, there remained the slippery few that managed to remain free. Lucius Malfoy was one of these Death Eaters. He went into hiding, leaving Draco as the only available Lord of the House of Malfoy. As such, the newly reformed Ministry was constantly searching the Malfoy mansion for something that would condemn the family to Azkaban. Their task had been unsuccessful thus far, but not for lack of trying.

_As much as I didn't want to do this, I'm glad that I'm going back. At least at Hogwarts, I'll be tucked away from the outside world, and from reminders of how close I came to losing everything._

Malfoy pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the window, not quite taking in the scenery as it flashed by. During the trials scheduled for suspected Death Eaters, he and his mother had come close to being sentenced to Azkaban, despite the fact that neither had the mark on their pale arms. If it hadn't been for Harry Potter's hero complex and honor, Draco Malfoy would be huddled up in a dark cell in Azkaban right now instead of on his way to his true home, Hogwarts. Harry had testified at both his trial and that of his mother, convincing the Wizengamot that neither of them had been willingly involved in any Death Eater activities, and that Draco was incapable of killing. He further proved their innocence by releasing that Narcissa had saved his life during the final battle, a fact that had shocked Draco to the point of tears. With the testimony of The Boy Who Lived on their side, there was no choice but to drop the charges against Draco and Narcissa. However, the charges against Lucius Malfoy still stood, and he was declared guilty of engaging in crimes against wizardry and humanity. If he were ever caught, he would receive the Dementor's kiss. Unfortunately, Malfoy Sr. was doing a very good job of not getting caught.

Draco's gaze moved from the window to the door of the compartment, where two first years were running past. One had jet black hair, the other fair blonde. They were laughing and wrestling, reminding Draco of his first year when Potter had refused his friendship; they represented what could have been in the Malfoy heir's mind. The sound of the compartment door sliding open brought Draco back from his musings. He looked up as Hermione Granger poked her bushy haired face through the gap.

"Malfoy."

_Granger. Of course the head girl would be Granger._

He inclined his chin slightly in acknowledgement, a single eyebrow raised in question. "The Prefect's meeting starts in ten minutes. I figured that we should talk about what we have planned for this year a bit before we set their tasks." After he gave a curt nod, she backed out of the compartment, relieved that a confrontation had been avoided among all those Slytherins. Draco pulled his designer robes on over his black dragonhide slacks and green blazer, and made his way to the first compartment to meet Granger, then the prefects.

After the sorting, Draco made his way through the sea of underclassmen towards his rooms. Since he had made Head Boy, he got his own dorm, connected to the Head Girl's dorm by the common room they'd share.

He turned down a corridor, leaving behind the majority of the other students. His gaze swept to the left and right, searching for the entrance to his new common room. At last, he spotted the portrait he had been looking for; a young woman sitting under an apple tree, a large old-fashioned book perched in her lap. As he approached her, she looked up, cocked her head to the side, and placed a leaf in the book to mark her page. She set the book down before standing up and coming closer to the edge of the painting; closer to Draco. When it appeared she could get no closer, she stopped, crossed her arms across her chest, and cocked an eyebrow at him. Though she didn't speak, Draco knew she was waiting for the password.

"Dignitas." (1) he sighed, ready to get inside and settle in, but at the same time not looking forward to the conversation that he would have to have with Granger before he could go to sleep. The portrait swung open, and he stepped inside. He nearly gasped aloud at what he saw inside, but seventeen years of masking your emotions and reactions is not an easy habit to break, and his face was instantly schooled into a cool mask if indifference. The only outward sign of the shock that he felt was the minute widening of his eyes.

(2) The common room itself was quite impressive. It was done in mostly black, with tones of both silver and gold laced throughout the room. While normally this combination would seem tacky, the extremely light shade of gold actually managed to compliment the silver. The floor was a beautiful cherry oak wood paneling, which gave the room a warm glow. The furnishings were simple, yet elegant; just the way Draco liked them. His home, the Malfoy Manor, was full of garish monstrosities that his ancestors had felt compelled to buy in order to flaunt their wealth, and he grew tired of such pompous quarters. A small smile on his lips, Draco closed the portrait behind him and made his way around the room.

To his right was a sitting area with two black couches, adorned with sheer golden throws and pillows that seemed to shimmer. There were four other black chairs and small golden end tables as well. All of this was placed strategically around a black marble fireplace, and a silver rug completed the area.

Beyond that was what appeared to be a fully functional kitchen, equipped with various muggle appliances. The countertops were a beautiful black, gold, and silver marble. A rather large pantry was next to a grand double staircase, which Draco presumed lead to the actual dorm rooms.

The entire western half of the room was a personal library. Tall black shelves made up the whole west wall; their top shelves reached all of the way up to the ceiling. Several couches lined the walls, and a large table sat in the center. It appeared to be made of wood, but it was such a beautifully pale breed that it matched the other golden embellishments around the room.

Draco tore himself away from the bookshelves reluctantly, mounting the stairs. He turned to the right and opened the door, one eyebrow raised at the color combination in the room; the furnishings were a deep purple, accented with lime green and silver.

"I guess this one's mine. That is, unless you've developed a sudden affection for my favorite colors." Draco jumped as Hermione approached him from behind.

"It would seem so…"

Hermione waited for him to move aside, but when he didn't, she turned sideways and slid past him awkwardly.

"Granger, wait." He stopped her just as she set her purse down on the bed and bent down to open her trunk.

"Yes?"

"I… well, I would like to formally apologize for my poor judgement in the past. I propose a truce between us. It seems only logical, since we'll be living and working together this year…"

"That sounds good to me. But just what would such a truce entail?"

"I will be civilized, if you will keep your boyfriend on a short leash. He starts arguments with me just as often as I do with him." He raised a hand to protest when she tried to interrupt him after he called Ron her boyfriend, and she nodded, resigned.

"It's a deal. Truce, then."

With a small smile, Draco turned around and opened the other door. His smile grew as he saw his room's décor; the floors were wood, the same dark color as in the rest of the quarters. A plush black area rug rested under his bed, which was decorated in high quality sheets and curtains that were a shade of purple so dark it was nearly black. His desks and bookshelves black, and it appeared as though they were covered in a shimmering layer of silver dust. They had ornate embellishments in a green so pale, it appeared silver.

"Sudden affection, indeed." Draco smirked, moving to his bed. He waved his wand, unpacking all of his things at once. As he lazily watched his dorm room putting itself in presentable order, his thoughts drifted to the truce he had just made with Granger and company.

"What have I gotten myself into…" Draco collapsed on his bed, intent on taking a long nap before dinner.

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**(1) "dignitas" is latin for dignity, merit, worth, or prestige. I thought that was a fitting password for the Head Boy & Girl's quarters :)**

**(2) For a picture of the Head's Quarters, see my profile. There's a link posted under this story's section. I was quite proud of myself for making it, so you should definitely go check it out. Plus, y'know, then you'll be able to visualize a bit better lol.**

**There you have it, folks :)**

**I hope you liked it!**

**Can I just say, purple and green are the best colors, ever? :)**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review? I love getting feedback for the fanfiction I write. It gives me the confidence to post more of the fics I write ;) Tell me how much you love it, how much you hate it, ANYTHING. I love constructive criticism. I'm also one of those people who are happy when readers point out mistakes - it makes me a better writer.**

**Much love,**

**~Arya Rose**


	2. Chapter One

**A/N: Hello everyone~ Wow, I'm blown away by the amount of people who have added this story to their favorites and alerts! Thank you so much! Thanks to everyone that has reviewed, as well! It's what motivates me to write :)**

**Here's the first chapter. Enjoy!**

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**_.:Chapter One:._**

"What have you gotten yourself into?" Ron yelled. Harry Potter winced, wondering if he'd ever be able to hear again after such a sudden, vicious assault on his eardrums. The Golden Trio was currently sitting in Hermione's new dorm room, relaxing before dinner. There weren't any classes until Monday morning, giving the students time to unwind and relax before yet another school year.

"Ronald Weasley," Hermione Granger lifted a hand as he opened his mouth, prepared to continue, and effectively silenced him. For the moment. "I'm sorely disappointed in you. Malfoy wants to put the past behind him and be civil this year, and personally, I think it's a wonderful idea. We've just been through a _war_, Ronald. Our enemies are _dead_. Not sitting in the dorm room across the hall from mine!"

"Oh, Mione, don't lie to yourself. Malfoy _is_ the enemy." Hermione's eyes widened as she looked at something behind her idiotic red head. "The Ferrety Git has done nothing but antagonize us for-" Ron's rant was cut off as a cold voice interjected.

"Why, Weasel… I wasn't aware that you knew such large words as antagonize. Glad to see our truce is off to such a splendid start this year. I suppose my offer of walking to dinner together would not be appreciated. Let me know when you all grow up, yes?" Draco glared at the immature red head, who was attempting to think of a suitable come back. While Ron over-exerted himself trying to figure out what to say, Draco's gaze shifted to the unusually quiet boy - _no, not boy. He had seen and done far too much to be a boy now_ - sitting on the bed beside him.

The summer had been very good to Harry Potter, Draco noted. He had finally figured out a way to correct his vision, and had ditched the tatty glasses that he had always worn. His eyes were such a vibrant green; Draco had never before noticed how beautiful that particular shade was. It drew you in, mesmerizing you. His eyes seemed to glow like the Avada Kedavra curse, and Draco was reminded that they could be equally as deadly. Potter had proven that during the Final Battle, when he had killed the Dark Lord with ease and without hesitation. Draco could detect a hint of something darker behind those sparkling eyes. Draco swallowed as he realized it was the same thing he saw in the mirror every day - the haunted look of someone living with the guilt of actions they had no true control over during the war.

Those enchanting eyes widened as Harry realized that Draco was staring at him. Startled, the blonde quickly turned and left the room, fleeing to the Great Hall where dinner would be served in just a few minutes.

"Excellent job, Ronald. Just excellent. You can expect that I won't be speaking with you until you grow up and realize that this could be a _good_ thing, this truce. Our graduating class has been ripped apart by a war their parents dragged them into. What they need now, in the aftermath, is some unity. When you're ready to be an adult and help us move towards that goal, _then_ I will _consider_ speaking to you again. Have fun taking your own notes this year." Hermione stormed off, leaving both boys staring after her with wide eyes.

"Bloody insane, that one is…" Ron muttered.

"Y'know, Ron… I think she's right. We do need some unity this year. Everyone's healing and trying to move on, and we should all keep that in mind…" Harry said, bracing himself for the explosion that would surely follow.

"But Harry, you can't seriously trust _Malfoy_ of all people…"

"I don't know Ron. He fought on our side during the Final Battle. Hell, he even saved my life at one point. Then, his mother turned around and lied to the Dark Lord to save me. I owe the Malfoy's a lot; more than they've gotten from the community."

"But _Harry_, he-"

"I know, Ron. I know. I'm not happy about it, but I'm willing to be civil until he gives me a reason to do otherwise. I think you should too." Harry showed a vague disinterest on the outside, but internally he was happy for Draco; his family's name had been dragged through the mud for ages after the war had ended. It was Harry's testimony alone that kept Narcissa and Draco out of Azkaban during the trials that followed. Even with The Savior's good word, it took a lot to save the two of them. It would be good for Draco to turn over a new leaf and show the Wizarding World that he wasn't like his father.

"No promises, mate, but I suppose I'll keep my mouth shut. But I swear, one word about my family, and I'll –"

"Deal. Now c'mon, let's get down to dinner before everyone eats all of the treacle tart."

The two Gryffindors left the Head's quarters, and made their way to the Great Hall, playfully shoving one another into walls and down corridors all the way. Merry laughter rang out through the castle as the students began travelling down the road to the healing process.

The leaves turned colors as the Summer heat gave way to the chilly fall. Classes began, and the 8th years, the children who wanted to retake their final year of school, fell into the routine of their first normal school year, ever. For most, it was a welcome change. Though for some, it felt unreal; they were just waiting for something to happen. Without possessed professors, the heir of Slytherin, an escaped prisoner of Azkaban, or any other disasters for the students to gossip about, the year was a boring one. Time seemed to move in slow motion, crawling by. Students kept busy with homework, to the horror of many.

When Halloween came around, Dumbledore held a ball, just as they had in times of old before Voldemort had become a threat. It gave everyone something to break up the monotony of their first normal school year. Even Hermione took a break from school work to have some fun.

Ron had finally gotten up the courage to ask Hermione to the dance, but nothing had happened beyond that. Harry was extremely happy for his friends, but he felt a bit left out. He felt like the Golden Duo was moving on with their lives, without him. Though he didn't really have the kind of feelings for her that he used to, Harry had asked Ginny, who was ecstatic. On Hogsmeade visits, the trio became the Golden Quartet, and the four friends went shopping and to the Hogs Head for some butterbeers. Harry tried not to interfere, but it was so blatantly obvious that his best friends wanted to shove the other against a wall, and it was almost painful to watch.

Christmas vacation finally arrived, and everyone went home to be with their families, though more students than usual stayed behind; some had no families or homes to go to. Regardless, the warm spirit of the holidays spread throughout the castle as the teachers and students randomly decorated it to escape from the fact that they had nobody to go home to. It became something of a challenge; who could come up with the best decorations. Even Malfoy got into the holiday spirit, since he too stayed behind.

He and Harry turned their rivalry into a positive thing for once – they outdid each other, each having claimed several hallways to decorate. Everyone else would watch them as they added more decorations, marveling at the finished products. It was assumed that the other couldn't possibly come up with something better, but every morning, they were proven wrong. At one point, Draco had charmed an the entrance hall into an ice rink, complete with falling snow. Harry replied with a huge snow fort, and a magical snowball fight – if you walked through the corridor, you'd be pelted with them. The best part, however, was that the snow disappeared once it hit you – it wasn't wet! The epic battle of hallway decorating went on all of the way until the day before Christmas, when a winner was supposed to be declared. Everyone waited with bated breath, choosing a student that they wanted to win. At this point, everyone knew it would either be Harry or Malfoy. In a parody to a strange muggle phenomenon, the muggleborns started mass producing shirts that said Team Potter and Team Malfoy. They were a big hit, even among the purebloods.

At dinner on Christmas Eve, Dumbledore stood up and began his speech.

"I thank you all for making this holiday season a most enjoyable one. The impromptu competition has made our stay here quite delightful."

Instead of one table, which was usually set up during holiday break since hardly anyone ever stayed, there were two tables to accommodate the larger number of students. These tables had naturally been divided into Team Malfoy and Team Potter. The two 8th years had seats of honor at the head of each table. Everyone was decked out in their Team gear, and some kids had even tried to charm the house flags into team flags!

"As is clear by your show of school spirit, we all know that it has come down to two students who have outdone themselves each and every day. The staff and I have discussed it, and we feel that we have made the right decision."

Everyone leaned forward, sitting on the edge of their seats as they awaited the final verdict. From the far table, somebody yelled out Harry's name. He flushed in embarrassment as everyone took up the chant. Not to be outdone, Team Malfoy started screaming as well. Dumbledore smiled, casting a sonorous charm so he could be heard above the chaos.

"I am pleased to announce… that there is a tie." The students all groaned at once, deflated. "Harry Potter's huge snowglobe in the astronomy tower gave us all a good laugh, especially with the penguins sliding down the hills! For his holiday spirit, he is one of our winners." Team Potter cheered loudly, even though they knew that he wasn't alone in his spot at the top.

"For his beautiful ice skating rink down in the Entrance Hall, Draco Malfoy is our other winner. What a dazzling display of spell work!" Team Malfoy exploded into applause, and the two teams attempted to out-cheer each other in one last attempt to declare a winner.

"Congratulations to both of you. I award 200 points to both Gryffindor and Slytherin! I would also like to say thank you to the other students who participated in this fun activity. Have a good night!" The students filed out of the Great Hall, talking animatedly. As they made their exit, the enchanted sky began dropping fat snowflakes from its clouds, adding to the merriment of this exciting holiday season.

Everyone went to sleep, eagerly awaiting Christmas morning: the delicious breakfast that the house elves had planned, the gifts from their friends and family, and a special trip to Hogsmeade that Dumbledore had scheduled as a reward for their outstanding display of holiday cheer.

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**A/N: Sorry if that chapter seemed to move too quickly... It was almost all filler, but I needed it to jump all of the way to after Christmas break, lol. I wanted to get to Valentine's Day that much faster ;)**

**PLEASE REVIEW! It'll inspire me to write more quickly.**

**Much love,**

**~Arya Rose**


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a while... Life's crazy now that I'm into my senior year of high school. I'm hoping to update about once every two weeks, but during Musical season, that might not happen. I'm student director of my school's theater department this year, which is exciting, but which also means I'll be super busy. But don't worry - I love this story too much to abandon it :)**

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_**.:Chapter Two:.**_

"Harry!" Vivid green eyes widened in surprise, arms suddenly full of frizzy-haired brunette.

"I missed you too, 'Mione." He laughed as the girl untangled their limbs and backed away. His best friend, Ron Weasley, came forward and gave him a manly one-armed hug.

"Good to see you, mate." Ron grinned, his freckles dancing as he grinned. Behind the two 8th years, Ginny Weasley waited patiently. She knew that she would never be a member of their exclusive circle, never share the bond these three did. But she was okay with that, so long as she was a part of Harry's life.

"Hello Harry." She smiled. Hermione dragged Ron towards the portrait, intent on giving the two some alone time.

"Hey Gin." He held out his arms, and the red-head snuggled into his chest, breathing in the warm scent she loved so much.

"I missed you! You should have seen it; Fred and George set their room on fire! The flames were hot pink! Mum was furious, and made the twins use their room without cleaning it up, but they just thought it was cool."

"Sounds exciting. I wish I could've been there…" Harry went quiet, giving his girlfriend a soft smile despite his inner thoughts. He had stayed at Hogwarts this Christmas, hoping for some peace and quiet, away from the chaos of the Weasley house for once. After all, the way things were going, he'd be going over there every year with Ginny anyway… Which was the other reason he wanted to stay at the castle. He loved Ginny, he really did, but being around her felt almost… awkward these days. Ginny wasn't quite asking outright for anything more, but Harry knew she wanted to move the relationship further. And he just wasn't ready to take that step with her, despite her increased boldness recently. He usually just went along with whatever she had planned, finding an excuse to stop when they moved past kissing.

"What have you been up to?"

"Oh, nothing much. There was a magical decorating contest that the students started. I tied with Malfoy for first place. That's about it, honestly. It was a nice, quiet holiday."

Ginny laughed and shook her head, standing up on her tip-toes to press her lips against her boyfriend's for a moment. Grabbing Harry's hand and pulling him back towards the portrait to go find their friends, Ginny told Harry more stories about Fred and George's newest adventures.

Pale silver eyes scanned the corridors. He moved through them, silent and graceful. A week had passed since everyone had returned from Winter Holidays. Draco had added additional rounds to his own list of duties, thoroughly enjoying his (mostly) quiet midnight strolls through the castle.

The soft rustle of cloth caught his attention, pulling him from his musings. He turned the corner slowly, searching for the source of the soft murmurs that had added to the noise.

Two seventh-years were wrapped around one another in a small alcove. Both of them had Gryffindor robes. With a small smirk of satisfaction, Malfoy crept up behind them.

_Finally, some Gryffindorks to harass. This dull semester has left me so bored!_

He smoothed his already perfect hair and crossed his arms over his chest, then cleared his throat loudly. The two students jumped, whirling around to face him.

"That'll be 25 points from Gryffindor, I think. And a detention with Snape. And –" Draco choked on the insult that he had been about to lash them with, eyes widening in surprise. Ginny Weasley was standing in front of him, face flushed and robes partially unbuttoned. Annoyance dominated her scrawny features. Just behind her stood Harry Potter himself. He looked quite ruffled, carefully controlled anger concealed from all but the most skilled observers.

_And relief? That's odd…_

His already messy hair looked wildly attractive, and the blush that had risen to his prominent cheeks was oddly endearing. Draco found his eyes straying lower, taking in the beautiful boy in front of him. Potter squirmed slightly, uncomfortable and nervous under his scrutiny.

Anger bubbled up like a run-away cauldron within Draco; he was furious that the filthy little ginger slut had just been putting her hands all over this stunning boy.

_Bloody hell, am I jealous of the Weaslette?_ He carefully ignored the fact that he had just called Potter stunning, endearing, and attractive, not quite able to process what that meant.

"That'll be an additional 10 points from each of you. And two more detentions, as well."

"What? Why? That isn't fair!" Ginny's face got even redder, anger making her even more ugly than usual.

_Because you're touching what's mine_. He thought angrily.

"For public indecency. Nobody wants to see Hogwarts' most undesirable in this state." He said simultaneously, letting a bit of his anger seep through his calm words.

Now it was Harry's turn to get angry.

"See here, Malfoy. I thought we had some sort of a truce! What the hell?"

"Don't bother, Harry. He's just a stupid Death Eater wannabe. Let's go, before he decides to kill us and take us to his father."

"Why, you miserable little-!" Draco shouted, enraged.

"Ginny!" Harry yelled, interrupting the blonde before he could really get started. He glared at her, shaking his head slightly. With a sigh, she took his hand and they walked off towards the Gryffindor common room. She did, however, shoot one last glare at the Slytherin before she turned the corner, Harry in tow. But Draco was far too distracted to notice.

_He just defended me. Huh. Imagine that…_ His eyes watched Harry's delectable (yet another adjective to add to the 'to be ignored' list) arse until it disappeared around the corner.

_He will be mine._ Draco turned, robes billowing, and made his way back towards the dungeons to start plotting.

Harry groaned as he looked at the Detention List posted in the Great Hall. Draco hadn't been exaggerating - he would have to serve his detentions with Snape, who had become even more miserly and awful after the war.

"Bad luck, mate." Ron patted him on the back.

"You'd better get moving, Harry. You don't want to be late…"

"Yeah… I suppose you're right…" He said, and yet he didn't move. He stared at the piece of parchment that had been magically tacked up to the wall, hoping that if he just looked at the detention assignments long enough, his would change. Perhaps he'd get to serve detention with Hagrid…

"Harry!" Hermione scolded.

"Yes m'am…" Harry saluted and turned to march to his death.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Draco knocked lightly on Severus Snape's office door.

"Yes. I was wondering if you could do me a small… favor." Snape smiled cruelly. "I'm supposed to be overseeing the detention of one Mr. Potter in a few minutes, but I have much work to do. Do you think you could oversee it for me?"

"Of course." Draco smirked, internally celebrating a job well done. He had been counting on the fact that his godfather would want Harry to suffer, and that Draco would be the best choice to make an already miserable detention even more insulting.

"See to it that Mr. Potter is treated… _well_."

Draco nodded, and Severus Snape walked away. The older man disappeared into his potions lab, leaving Draco alone in his office.

_This should be fun,_ he smirked.

Harry sighed as he stared up at the door to his demise. He had been standing in front of the potions classroom for several minutes now. If he didn't enter soon, he'd be late to his detention, and he knew that Snape would make him pay for it. He sighed once more, pushing the door open and stepping into the dark room. Once his eyes adjusted to the faint dungeon lighting, they widened in dismay. The first thing he noticed was the giant mountain of cauldrons that were in the center of the room. The second thing he noticed was the smirking blonde perched on top of Snape's desk.

"Malfoy? What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Tsk Tsk, Potter. Such language." He smirked at his rival. "The cauldrons are over there. I trust that you know what to do; you've served enough detentions by now to know the drill."

Harry clamped his jaws shut, refusing to rise to the bait and retort. He looked around for the bucket of rags and the chisel that Snape usually provided, since he wasn't allowed to clean them magically.

"Well? Are you going to stand there all night, or are you going to clean?"

"There's nothing to clean them with…" Harry quietly growled, embarassed.

Draco quirked an eyebrow at him, then smirked again.

"You do have a wand, don't you?" He looked down to continue reading the book Harry hadn't noticed when he walked in. He shook his head, dumbfounded, then turned to the first cauldron and cast a cautious scourgify. As he worked, he could feel the blonde's eyes wash over him periodically. He blushed, entirely thrown off by this strange new Malfoy. He shook his head and turned back to the task at hand, throwing himself into the work.

Harry grinned as he stacked the last cauldron up against the wall, finished with his task. Draco's eyes watched as Harry's muscles flexed beneath his golden skin, entranced. When Potter turned to face him, however, all he saw was a mild look of interest on Draco's face. For a moment, neither boy said a word. Then Harry broke the silence.

"Er, I think I'll just go then. Since I've finished." He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward. Draco glanced at the neat pile of cauldrons, and then nodded.

"Good night then, Harry." Draco said, going back to reading his book.

It wasn't until Harry was half way back to his common room that he realized Draco had called him "Harry" rather than Potter.

Draco groaned as the door shut behind his former rival. He set his book down, putting his face in his hands tiredly. It had been torture, sitting there for half an hour with Harry's powerful magical signature swirling around them. And the brunette was so damned hot. The way he moved when he was casting spells… The expressions on his face as he concentrated… It was intoxicating. He didn't know how he didn't notice it before now!

Shaking his head, Draco stood up and placed his book in the small bag he had brought with him. He adjusted his robes to hide his rather large problem, walking stiffly back to the dorm with images of Harry Potter in his mind and the residue of magic caressing his skin.

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**A/N: That's all, folks :)**

**I hope this chapter didn't move to quickly, either... That's it as far as 'filler' goes lol. Next chapter, we get into the meat of the story!**

**Please review~**

**~Arya Rose**


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N: Hey there everyone! I sincerely sincerely apologize... It's been far too long since I last updated. But in my defense, life is absolutely INSANE right now. I won't even go into it, but suffice it to say I haven't even been sleeping very much lately. There just aren't enough hours in the day!**

**It's definitely 3:45 in the morning right now, so forgive me for any spelling / grammar errors. Or anything that just doesn't make any sense. I'll probably catch it tomorrow. But for now, I wanted to get something posted for you poor souls! I haven't abandoned you!**

**Enjoy :)**

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_**.:Chapter Three:.**_

"Courage." Harry sighed as the Fat Lady swung open for him, still utterly confused about his rather unusual detention. Ron and Hermione were waiting for him in the Common Room, sitting on the couches in front of the fire,

"Harry! What happened? You look like you're trying to… Well, I'm not sure what you look like at the moment…" Hermione cocked her head to the side, curious about Harry's nearly constipated expression.

"Why are you back so early, mate?" Ron, oblivious to Harry's current state of mind, had only enough brain power after studying with Hermione to realize it was far too soon for his friend to be finished with Detention.

"I'm not sure…" Harry said, replying to both of their questions with one sentence. "Snape had Malfoy oversee my detention."

"Oh, tough luck, that. Sorry Mate…" Ron interrupted, but was silenced by a glare from Hermione.

"But Malfoy… He was acting really weird… civil, almost. He let me use magic to clean this massive mountain of cauldrons that Snape left me."

"He what?"

"I know, crazy, isn't it? I just don't get it. And he kept staring at me the whole time. Creepy."

Hermione couldn't quite muffle her amused snort. The boys looked at her strangely for a moment but she waved her hand and pretended to cough.

"Oh well, mate. At least you're done early, eh? How about a game of exploding snap?" Ron proposed, not thinking anything of Hermione's outburst.

"Sure." Still perplexed, Harry shook his head and stood up to follow Ron up to the Boy's Dorm. "Coming, Hermione?"

"No, I've got to go patrol the sixth floor, and then I think I'll go to bed." She adjusted the pin on her Head Girl's badge happily.

"See ya, Mione." Ron called, already halfway up the staircase.

"Good night, boys." She waved as she stepped out of the portrait hole, into the quiet hallway.

_Of course they have homework that they could be doing right now instead of playing games._ Hermione shook her head and smiled fondly to herself as she made her way down the stairs.

A pair of fourth years were snogging in an alcove beside the staircase. Hermione rolled her eyes, deducted points, and sent them off to bed in their respective houses.

_Honestly. There was an abandoned classroom right there. When will they learn?_

The witch smiled to herself and continued down the hall.

_Still… I envy them. I wish that I had somebody who wanted to risk getting caught out after curfew just to be with me…_

Ron's freckle-filled face immediately came to the front of her mind, and she blushed. Valentine's Day was in three days, and she hoped he would ask her to go to Hogsmeade with him. Dumbledore had announced that there would be no classes that day, and that everybody third year and up was allowed to go into the small town for a few hours.

_What am I thinking, of course he doesn't feel the same way I do. I'm just being silly. I'm just his walking library, nothing more… He only asked me to the Halloween dance as a friend becuase he didn't have anyone else to go with._

Sighing deeply, Hermione picked up her pace. She suddenly felt extremely tired, and was eager to return to her dorms.

Harry opened his eyes with a groan; it was his least favorite holiday of the year, closely followed by Halloween. Piles of heart-shaped parcels of various sizes, wrapped in bright pink paper and tied with frilly bows, were piled at the end of his bed, and several more owls were waiting outside the window. With a sigh, he got out of bed and scooped up the monstrosities, wobbling over to Ron's bed and dropping his burden there. He shooed the other owls away and made his way to the bathroom to get ready for what he knew would be a terrible day.

Despite having left early, Harry still got stopped by no less than five swooning young girls who wanted to profess their undying love for him. One girl went so far as to propose marriage – she had even bought him a ring.

_Crazy. Absolutely bat-shit crazy, I tell you._

He walked into the Great Hall and blinked a few times in disbelief. The morning post hadn't even arrived yet, and already his place at Gryffindor table was buried beneath a pile of love letters and boxes of chocolate. Seamus and Dean were already there, picking through the pile gleefully as the female student body glared.

"G'morning, 'Arry." Seamus grinned through a mouthful of chocolate frog.

"What's the damage so far, mate?" Harry asked.

"Thirty seven marriage proposals, eleven poems, two howlers, and forty boxes of chocolate in various capacities." Dean counted on his fingers.

"Not counting this pile here." Seamus gestured to the heap on top of the table.

"_Two howlers_?" Harry asked.

"One was from this crazy old hag who was pissed off that you hadn't responded to her daughter's marriage proposal or some such nonsense."

Harry thought of the girl who had cornered him on the way to the Great Hall and burst out laughing.

"News sure travels fast. I just turned her down fifteen minutes ago. She attacked me just outside of the tower. Who was the other one from?"

"Oh, erm…" Dean trailed off, looking pointedly away from Harry.

"Nobody in particular."

"C'mon, guys. What gives?" Harry shoved Seamus lightly.

"Well… it was technically for me. My mother wants me to introduce you to my sister…" Dean coughed.

Harry let out an indignant snort and started laughing so hard that he almost fell off of the bench.

"Isn't she a first year?"

"Yes. My mother's mad, I tell you!" All three boys laughed at that, and Harry waved his wand, vanishing the rest of the rubbish. More people were filing into the Hall slowly now. Waffles, eggs, and bacon materialized on the table where the love letters had previously been. He reached across the table and grabbed some bacon, happily shoving it into his mouth. Ron and Neville came in and sat down, only half awake. Ron had several boxes of chocolate tucked under his arm.

"I love Valentine's Day…" Ron sighed dreamily, unwrapping one of Harry's packages and shoving the treat into his mouth.

Hermione looked in the mirror one last time, smoothing down her hair. She had attempted to tame her frizzy locks today, hoping to catch Ron's attention. However, the moment her hands fell back down to her sides, her hair poofed right back up again. She sighed angrily, and threw her comb across the bathroom.

"Woah!" Draco ducked as the comb soared past him. He had been on his way down the stairs, and Hermione had left the bathroom door open.

"Sorry, Malfoy…" Hermione blushed, thoroughly embarrassed that the blonde had seen her tantrum.

"You know, there are spells for that. _Redomos_!" He flicked his wand towards Hermione, and she flinched as the light blue spell hit her. When she opened her eyes, she gasped. Her hair framed her face in neat curls.

"How… I've done so much research, but nothing has ever worked before! Where did you get that spell?"

"It's an ancient Malfoy secret." He winked at her and turned to leave. Hermione laughed incredulously, running a hand through her soft hair in wonder. She shook her head, flicked her wand to turn out the light, and grabbed her bag, then followed the Malfoy heir to breakfast.

Ron was halfway through his third helping of waffles when Hermione sat down at the table.

"Hey, Mione." Harry said absently, shoveling bacon into his mouth.

Ron, on the other hand, actually swallowed what was in his mouth before speaking for once.

"Hermione… something's different."

She smiled, pleased that he'd noticed.

"Help me out here, Harry. I can't quite put my finger on it… Is it a new set of robes? No… A new shade of eyeshadow then."

Hermione shook her head, her smile faltering a little bit.

"I dunno, Ron… Something's changed though, that's for sure. Is it the lighting in here?" Harry looked up, only to look back down with a groan as he noticed the small army of owls that had just entered the Hall.

"I know!" Hermione nodded, thinking he'd finally figured it out. "You've lost weight, haven't you!" She stared at Ron, the muscles in her temple twitching every few seconds. Ron noticed and started laughing. "We're just kidding, Hermione. I don't know how you managed it, but your hair looks really nice." He smiled at her, and then continued eating. The brunette blushed with pleasure, happy that he had really noticed.

One by one, the owls landed at the Gryffindor table. Harry's head smashed into the table with a dull thud as his housemates started untying the parcels and letters excitedly. He haphazardly casted Incendios, trying to destroy some of the letters before the table was buried.

"Hey, listen to this one Harry: Your eyes are as green as clover. Your voice as pleasant as a fairy's laughter. Before this month is over, please marry my daughter." Dean sniggered at the horrible poem.

"Oi, Harry, you may want to keep this one for later!" Harry glanced up only to gasp in horror; this particular witch had decided to include several nude photos with her love letter. He cursed under his breath, destroying that one immediately. "Ow! Watch it Harry, that was my finger you just burned." Seamus sucked his thumb into his mouth, whining pitifully.

The letters finally stopped raining down on them, and everyone diligently sorted through the mess. Any sort of candy disappeared into people's pockets for later, while letters were stacked up on the floor to be burnt or vanished. Just as Hermione tucked her wand away, having incendio'd the last pile of letters, a large black owl swooped down and landed gracefully in front of Harry. He held out his leg, staring at the brunette.

"Hey, I know you! You're the same owl that brought me a Hangover Potion after that crazy party a few weeks ago!*" Harry ran his fingers down the beautiful creature's chest, and it hooted softly. With his other hand, he grabbed a bit of waffle and held it out for the bird. She took it happily, munching on it as Harry untied the elegant green ribbon that attached a small box to her leg. Harry stared at it for a few moments, and the bird took flight.

"Open it, Harry! Come on, you have to open at least one of the valentines yourself!" Neville encouraged, starting a chorus of similar sentiments. He carefully pulled on the silver ribbon that held the lid to the box itself, and slid the lid off. A snitch-sized orb sat in a little nest of silver paper. It was a vivid green; the same color as his eyes. He picked it up and examined it for a few moments, but it did nothing. He tried opening it, but to no avail.

"Your wand, Harry." Hermione suggested. He set the orb in the palm of his hand and tapped it gently with the tip of his wand. Finally, the beautiful sphere reacted. It opened on a hidden hinge, and three numbers floated out. They remained an inch above the open orb, a deep purple that went well with the green light the orb was emitting.

"What the hell?" Ron muttered under his breath.

"What does it mean?"

"Where did it come from?"

"Who's it from, Harry?"

"I…" Harry looked at the box for any sign of who had given it to him, but there was no tag or note. "I don't know."

"It's so beautiful…" Hermione tilted her head, attempting to analyze which spells were at work to create such a thing.

The bell rang, and breakfast was over. Harry shoved the box in his bag, and closed the orb. He slid it into his pocket as the trio made their way to Charms. But even after Professor Flitwick began his lesson, Harry's mind was focused on the orb.

_8… 3… 1… What does it mean? And who could have sent it to me?_

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**A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNN. The plot thickens ;)**

***Redomos is a spell that I invented. It comes from the latin word Redomo, which means "tame" (fitting, no?)**

***also, the whole "hangover potion" thing with the owl is a little easter egg that I originally included by accident, and then changed slightly to make it a semi-subtle plug for my other story, Obliviate. Go check it out It's A LOT better than this one, I swear. This story is so old that I almost want to take it down off of the site :/**

**PLEASE REVIEW! No lie, the reason I posted this chapter, hell the reason that I even started writing it, was because somebody added this story to favorites which popped up in my email and reminded me how long its been since I've written. Reviews truly do equal faster updates! And since I can't guarantee that I'll have any time to write in the near future, reviewing very well may be the only way to get me to put life on hold and glue me to my laptop for a few hours :)**

**Much love,**

**~Arya Rose**


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N: AHHHH! I'm so so so so so sorry that it's taken me this long to update... If you knew how hectic my life has been, you might understand, but there's no excuses. I should have been working on this at least a little bit each week... All that I can say is, I'm on Spring Break this week. I will try my hardest to get another chapter up to make up for lost time! I would apologize for how short this is, but it's only about 200 words under my norm, and I figured that you'd rather have a shorter chapter now than wait even longer for it v.v"**

**Without further ado, enjoy~ And please review? It's what finally tugged on my conscience and made me write this chapter lol. They really do motivate me!**

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_**.:Chapter Four:.**_

Harry made his way to his next detention, thoroughly distracted. He was tossing the strange little orb up, then catching it, over and over again. He hadn't the faintest idea who could have sent him such a thing. The most unusual part was that nobody had come forward to claim the gift. Usually witches threw themselves at him after they saw him receive their letters! He was both thankful and baffled by this sender's peculiar behavior.

He knocked on the door to the potions lab absently, but it swung open when his knuckles touched the cold metal. He entered, startled, and looked around apprehensively for what sort of torture Snape could have cooked up this time. Malfoy probably told him about how lenient he had been, so now he'd get to do a double detention with something even more horrible than scrubbing cauldrons. Maybe he'd have to gut some random magical creature to get some new ingredients for class. Or maybe he'd have to test out Snape's newest Poison. Or maybe –

"Are you just going to stand there all night, Harry?"

The brunette jumped a mile, and whipped his wand out, leveling it at the blonde.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here? Er, again?"

"Overseeing your detention, of course. Snape was _so_ pleased when I told him how absolutely miserable I made you last time, and he wished for a repeat performance." He smirked, putting a bookmark in the thick tome he had been reading. He hopped down from his place atop Snape's desk and made his way slowly towards the other boy.

_Wait, did Malfoy call me Harry? Again? And he not only let me off easy last time, but he lied to Snape for me? And he called me Harry?_ His eyes widened when he realized that, yes, his archenemy had broken the tradition of calling each other by their last names again.

"Potter? Earth to Potter? Have the little hamsters in your brain finally expired?"

He shook his head, clearing it of the muddled thoughts clouding his mind.

"I asked if you received my gift."

"Your… gift? I'm sorry, I only zoned out for a few seconds but I'm completely lost." Harry snapped his mouth closed, stopping his ramblings before he gave the Slytherin any more ammunition for easy insults.

"My gift. I sent it with Magnus this morning."

"Magnus?"

"My owl…? A big, regal flying beast?" Malfoy looked nervous now rather than smug.

"Wait, the big black one?"

"Yes. That would be Magnus. And as enthralling as this little epiphany has been, you've yet to answer my question…" The Malfoy heir fiddled with the hem of his robes a bit. Harry raised one eyebrow wearily at the completely out of character behavior.

"Yes… Magnus gave me the orb. But why did you send it? And what does it mean?" His voice remained calm but internally he was panicking, making a list of all of the curses and hexes the little thing could've contained. It could slowly be poisoning him from its place in his pocket. Or it could be slowly driving him insane. Or it could be giving him cancer. Or it could –

"Excellent. Then, you may go." A feral grin lit up his handsome face.

"What the fuck, Malfoy? Answer the question! And where are the cauldrons – this is supposed to be a detention."

"The cauldrons are there." He smirked, pointing at the neat stack of clean cauldrons lined up near the door. "Your detention is finished, since I cleaned all of the cauldrons hours ago. You may go."

"Why are you so infuriating? And _weird_?!" The Gryffindor ran a hand through his hair in frustration, sighing, before taking his leave. He slammed the door behind him for good measure, stomping back up the damp stone stairs towards the main hall.

_Why are you so ador- no, predictable! Definitely not adorable._ Draco smiled, twirling his wand through his fingers lazily. _Well, maybe just a little bit adorable…_

"Harry, what's the matter?" Hermione jumped up from her place on the sofa, books cascading to the floor as her best friend stomped through the portrait, past her, and started up the stairs.

"Malfoy." He called over his shoulder, continuing up the stairs to the dorms.

"Oh, what did he do now?" She frowned, wondering why the blonde had broken the truce.

"He breathes air." He moodily answered, throwing himself down on his four poster bed. Hermione sat beside him, debating whether or not she wanted to get too close to her friend when he was this upset. "He did my detention for me. He never answers questions. He has that infuriating smirk. He sent me the damned orb!"

"Malfoy sent that to you?" The hamsters in Hermione's head started running full speed ahead as the gears turned and a realization started to form.

"And the bloody bastard won't even tell me what it means!" With a dramatic sigh, Harry rolled over. Neither of them said a word, for there was nothing more to say.

After a few minutes, Hermione patted her friend's arm soothingly then stood up.

"I'm going back to my dorm now, Harry. Goodnight…"

The brunette didn't answer, too caught up in his thoughts of what misery was in store for him when the mysterious orb finally revealed its purpose. He lay awake for hours, trying to figure out what Malfoy's problem was.

_He's being nice to me. And I think... I like it. But it's weird. And wrong. He's clearly up to something._

He finally fell asleep a few hours before breakfast.

"Good morning, Harry." A cheerful voice called from behind him. He turned around, eyes unfocused, trying to locate the person who had greeted him. He saw a flash of blond hair and pale skin walking by, and his hand was halfway raised to return the greeting when he realized who had spoken.

"Er… You too, Malfoy?" The blonde smiled at him and wound his way to his own table. Harry turned his attention back to his waffles, wondering why on earth he was awake for breakfast on a Saturday. Clearly he was hallucinating now, too. Normally he would have slept in, but his thoughts were having their own personal Quidditch match in his brain, and the beaters weren't going easy on him.

He headed back to the Gryffindor common room, intent on taking a long nap before tackling his homework. However, his plans were thwarted when he noticed a small green note on his bed.

_Harry,_

_Ron and I are spending the day in my quarters._

_You should come join us when you're finished_

_at breakfast! I promise, there will be no studying._

_(But that only means you'll have to work doubly as hard tomorrow!)_

_Love, Hermione_

With a groan, Harry considered his options. On one hand, he could ditch his friends and sleep the day away. But on the other hand, he and the other members of the Golden Trio hadn't been spending as much time together as they used to, so he really wanted to go hang out with them. On the third hand, the one that even magic hadn't evolved yet, Harry could do his homework like a good little wizard, and ignore both desires fighting for dominance in his brain. Or that could just be those damned mini Quidditch players going at it again…

In the end, Harry grabbed his bag, threw a few things that he thought could be useful for a day of fun inside it, and headed for the Heads' dorms. When he got there, he realized that Hermione hadn't given him the password! He knocked a few times, but nobody seemed to hear him. Exasperated, he slid down the wall and sat in front of the portrait.

_I should have just gone to sleep. They're probably just in there snogging each other to death, anyway… About damn time._ He thought, shaking his head slightly with a smirk on his face.

"My, Potter. Have you been observing me? That smirk was almost fit for a Slytherin!" Harry looked up to see a smirking – no, a _smiling_ Draco Malfoy.

_He should smile like that more often. Wait, what? No! Bad Harry. Focus._

"I try. I was almost placed in Slytherin, you know!"

Draco tipped his head back and laughed without any trace of sarcasm or menace.

"Good one, Golden Boy. You wouldn't survive ten minutes in the snake pit."

"Think what you wish. I've already beaten that record by about half an hour."

Draco's jaw dropped.

"When did this happen? Why wasn't it on the front page of the prophet? How are you still alive!?" He melodramatically gasped, throwing a hand over his brow and taking half a step backwards.

"Oh, just during second year. I had an interesting conversation with you about the heir of Slytherin, actually. Ron was there, too. And Hermione, well," he laughed, "Hermione should've been there, but she accidentally turned herself into a cat."

"What in Merlin's name…" A realization struck Draco, and his eyes lit up with envy. "You polyjuiced yourselves, didn't you! I knew something was off with Crabbe and Goyle that day. Sneaky, Potter. You never cease to amaze me."

Harry blushed, inarticulately gesturing to the portrait.

"Er, I'm supposed to be meeting Hermione and Ron inside, but they didn't give me the password…"

"No problem. _Adagnitio_!(1)" The portrait swung open, and Draco gracefully stepped inside. Harry scrambled after him, completely baffled by Draco's ongoing behavior. The portrait slammed behind him, and Draco turned, one eyebrow raised in silence. Blushing even more, Harry mumbled something incoherent and made his way upstairs to Hermione's room.

The three of them laughed and gossiped, and played various wizarding games into the wee hours of the morning. They eventually moved down to the common room kitchen to fix themselves some snacks.

"I'm telling you, something's up! Malfoy's acting… strange. He's being really nice to me! I'm not complaining, but… It's just strange." Harry looked around to make sure said blonde wasn't lurking behind the fruit bowl.

"It seems like he's trying really hard to continue the truce he proposed in the beginning of the year." Hermione covered her smile with her hand, faking a cough.

"Well I still think he's up to something nefarious." Ron frowned.

"Ron, you shouldn't assume... wait, did you just use nefarious properly?"

Draco walked down the stairs, and Hermione clamped her mouth shut. Harry followed the lithe Slytherin with his eyes as he moved to the bookshelf, replaced the book he had carried down, and tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment. The bookshelf rearranged itself, and Draco smiled, picking up the first book that appeared before him. He turned around and went back to his room, but not before smirking seductively at Harry, eyes half lidded. With a saucy wink, he disappeared from view. Hermione's breathing sped up dramatically, and she had to fake another coughing fit to hide her laughter. Harry was too busy bristling like an angry and confused bird to notice her outburst, and Ron was too enthralled by the popcorn that they were cooking in the microwave. He hadn't even noticed the exchange.

After many more hours of revelry, Ron fell asleep on the floor. Harry, too tired to head all of the way back to Gryffindor Tower and too exhausted to try waking his best friend, decided to crash on the couch. Hermione levitated a snoring Ron down the stairs behind them, setting him down gently on one of the many reclining chairs in the room. Harry chose a comfortable looking couch and tiredly thanked Hermione for the pillow and blanket she had conjured. They said their goodnights, and Harry was asleep before his head had even hit the pillow.

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**A/N: There you have it, folks :) I hope you liked it. I certainly did! Look for some serious plot development in the next few chapters ;)**

**(1) Adagnitio means Knowledge in Latin. Or so Google Translate says lol. Sorry if my latin passwords are off at all, but I really liked the idea of using them to bring out the characteristics of the dorms and add depth to the story :)**

**Until next time!~ Which will be SOON. I promise!**

**~Arya Rose**


	6. Chapter Five

**A/N: Hi, everyone! I'm amazed at the response that chapter four has generated! I've had more favorites and alerts than I can even count, so thanks so much for your support! Please let me know what you like, or even don't like, about this story with a review. Now that school is starting up again after a wonderful spring break, I won't get much time to update. I've literally written and posted a new chapter just based on a review before, since it kind of reminds me that I should update for you people hahaha. So yeah. Reviews are amazing, and literally bring more updates!**

**Also, there's been a minor setback... Though it's proven to be a good thing. My entire folder containing all of my fanfiction and their plot outlines was accidentally deleted! After staring at the computer screen in horror for about ten minutes, and then trying to retrieve it for another fifteen, I gave up. However, I had been in a rut with this story, and now that the plot outline is gone and I don't know where I had planned to go with this story, this chapter is about a hundred times better than it would have been if I'd followed my boring plot outline hahahaha! So, enjoy, and I apologize for any continuity errors present in the story from here on out; I'm writing from pure emotion rather than planning it all out, so there are bound to be a few things I overlook.**

**Thanks, as always!**

**~Arya Rose**

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_**.:Chapter Five:.**_

Draco stared at the canopy above his bed, trying really hard not to listen to the happy laughter coming from down stairs. Naturally, he was failing miserably. With a grumpy sigh, he turned over and stared at the clock. It was already 3am, and the Golden Trio had shown no signs of stopping any time soon. Harry's deep voice rose above the others as he laughed once more, and Draco's heart twisted painfully as he wondered if he'd ever be able to make Harry laugh like that. He'd only ever seen Harry laugh from afar, and that smiling expression usually left as soon as the brunette noticed him watching, replaced with a glare.

He had been so confident when he had first put his plan into motion, but now he wasn't sure if it would work, or if he would be able to pull this off. His attempts at befriending Harry hadn't turned out as well as he had hoped, but at the very least they were no longer enemies. He supposed that was some sort of progress, at least. If only the Gryffindor would stop getting upset at him when he tried to be civil! 

_I don't understand. I'm being perfectly nice to him. Why is he acting so... angry? The confusion I guess I can understand. If my long time rival started flirting with me, I guess I would be confused too. _

While he had been lost in his thoughts, the laughter had died down. Silently, he made his way out of his room and down the stairs. Hermione's door had been shut, and the only light coming from the common area was the flickering orange glow from the fireplace that always remained lit. He sighed, assuming that Harry and Ron had gone back to their own tower, and decided to make himself a steaming cup of hot chocolate to help him relax, and hopefully, sleep. He muttered a heating charm and mixed the chocolate in with the now warm milk and some cinnamon, and took a small sip of the heavenly mixture.

A rather loud snore made him jump violently, hot chocolate drenching his hand. With a muttered curse, he shook his hand and cast a healing spell to stop the burning. He turned to glare at the fool who dared scare him like that, but his eyes widened in shock. Ron Weasley was draped across one sofa, mouth open, drool sliding down his cheek, and roaring like a lion. Draco made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat and cast a hasty _silencio_ around the pitiful excuse for a wizard. Once the dreadful snoring ceased, a small whimper caught his attention, and he shifted his gaze to the other sofa across the room.

He found his feet moving him forward without his permission, and a small smile tugged at his lips. Harry was lying on his back, blanket askew, and his shirt riding up. Draco's eyes worshipped the wedge of tanned skin that was peeking out from underneath the thin shirt hungrily, longing to run his tongue along the contours of Harry's muscular abs, and then down to where the blanket pooled…

He snapped out of his trance as the adorable brunette whimpered once more, twitching violently. Draco's eyes softened in concern as he noticed that Harry was sweating profusely and breathing rather heavily.

_He must be having a nightmare… I guess I'm not the only one haunted by images of the war. It makes sense, I guess… why didn't I think of it before? I could see it in his eyes before._

Curious and mildly concerned, he kneeled next to the sofa. A single tear squeezed itself out from beneath Harry flailed violently, crying out. Draco cast another quick silencing spell before Harry let out an ear-splitting yell. Without thinking, he gathered the quivering boy in his arms, holding him while he sobbed. Draco was unsure when exactly Harry had woken up, but the boy was clinging to him as though the world would end if he ever let go. Draco murmured soothing words without thinking about it, rubbing his hand comfortingly up and down Harry's spine.

After what felt like eternity and the blink of an eye all at once to Draco, the Boy Who Lived calmed down, his sobs reduced to slight tremors that would race through his lithe body. Neither boy moved, even after Harry had realized that he was currently cradled in the lap of his one-time enemy. Draco gently stroked his hair, chin resting on the slightly smaller boy's shoulder. He had never seen Harry this vulnerable, and his heart tugged painfully at the sight; he wondered how many nights Harry had screamed himself hoarse, waking up sobbing, with nobody to soothe and protect him from his demons. A fierce desire to protect the boy in his arms overtook Draco, and he hugged the brunette to him a bit more tightly.

Harry blushed a handsome crimson, and he kept his eyes down, face tucked into Draco's shoulder so he wouldn't have to look up into his stunning gray eyes and risk seeing the derision and amusement he was sure must be there. He couldn't believe that the blonde had just seen him at his worst, his weakest. And he couldn't believe that he wanted nothing more than to stay in his pale arms for as long as the other boy would let him. He waited for the rejection that never came, and his eyes began to droop.

Draco smiled as he felt Harry's breathing even out, in awe of the gorgeous creature in his arms. He was filled with a sense of pride and contentment; Harry had felt safe enough to fall asleep in his arms, and Draco was thrilled to have helped him back to sleep. He shifted ever so slightly, trying not to wake the focus of his affections. He stretched out his legs, cradling Harry with his entire body, arms still wrapped tightly around the brunette. Harry's hands were still fisted against Draco's chest, gripping his green night shirt lightly. The faint smell of Sandalwood surrounded Draco in a cloud of bliss, accompanied by a scent that was uniquely Harry. Draco inhaled deeply, smiling, as his eyes slowly closed, his last thought a prayer that he wouldn't wake up to find that this had all been a dream.

Hermione woke up as a warm shaft of sunlight forced its way between her eyelids. She groaned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, and sat up. She blinked blearily at her room, unsteadily stepping out of bed. She tripped over the clothes she had been too tired to put in her hamper last night, muttering curses at the poor fabric as she made her way towards the door. She stumbled down the stairs and made a beeline for the coffee pot perched like a god on top of the counter. She set the coffee to brew, and turned around to go sit on the couches and wait for it to be ready.

Her plans to doze were foiled, however, when she noticed the pile of limbs splayed out on the sofa. Her tired eyes widened, and blinked a few times for good measure, unable to believe what she was seeing. Harry was curled up on top of Draco's chest, snuggled into the blonde, whose arms were draped protectively around the smaller teen. Their legs were tangled together so that Hermione couldn't tell where one stopped and the other began. Utterly confused, she stared stupidly at them for a few moments; it was far too early for her brain to function, and on top of the very little amount of sleep she had gotten, this was just too much for her. The coffee pot trilled its short alarm, signaling that her beloved coffee was finished. She gingerly grabbed the hot mug, carefully taking a few sips. The entire time she sipped her elixir of awareness, she stared at the two boys on the couch. The more coffee she drank, the clearer her mind became, and a small smile tugged at her lips; a lot of things were starting to make sense now. Knowing that Ron would freak out if he woke up to the sight that had greeted her when she came downstairs, she quietly levitated him out of the portrait and all of the way to Gryffindor Tower. She softly lowered the snoring red-head on the couch, amused to find that his monstrous snores produced no noise.

_Clever Draco._ She thought as she recognized his magical signature. _He probably didn't want Ron to wake Harry… I'm sure he had one of his nightmares, and Draco was there to calm him down._

The clever witch knew from experience that once Harry was asleep and calm, you did everything in your power to keep him that way. The poor brunette had suffered so much during the war, and even now after everything was over, he was plagued by guilt and trauma that manifested themselves while he slept.

_He must be using silencing charms while he sleeps. I thought Ron hadn't had to deal with any midnight freak outs in awhile... _

Fully awake, she decided to go to the library to get a head start on her homework that was due on Monday. She was sorely tempted to return to her quarters and wait for the show that was sure to come when the boys woke up, but she decided to give them their space.

_831… Draco, you're a clever little ferret. 8 letters, 3 words, 1 meaning…_

Smiling and humming an upbeat tune, Hermione mounted the stairs and headed up to the Library.

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**A/N: That's it for now~ I've just realized how short these chapters have been... my average is about 1000 words per chapter, and while that's not a bad thing, it's not what I'm used to... I'm going to make a conscious effort to make them a bit longer as I go on; I know how frustrating it is to eagerly await an update, and then have it be super short haha.**

**PLEASE REVIEW... I need to know if any of my old readers are still around :)**

**Much love,**

**~Arya Rose**


	7. Chapter Six

**A/N: Hi everyone! So, I had someone express some interest in reading this story, so I figured I should probably finish it haha. Note that I honestly hate this story. It's a personal thing. My writing has grown SO much since I started this fic years ago, especially in the character development department. I've kind of developed my own personal canon characterizations, and this story breaks every single one of them, I think. So I'm not a huge fan, but I want to finish it for the principal of it. Unfortunately, since I'm too lazy to rewrite the whole thing, this means I have to try to match the awkward characters I created before I realized that characters should actually be a focused thing. *sigh* It's been... interesting. We'll see what happens, but I plan on finishing this story sometime in the near future. Which probably means over the summer once my crazy college exams are over.**

**Try to enjoy! Please review, even if you want to tell me you don't like it either xD**

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_**.:Chapter Six:.**_

Harry frowned as his bed shifted beneath him. He mumbled sleepily, pressing his face into his pillow to stop it from moving around anymore.

"Bad pillow. Why do you have to move around and wake me up?"

The movement stopped suddenly, and Harry smiled.

"Good pillow. So warm…"

Harry blearily opened his eyes, confused, when the pillow rumbled in amusement beneath him. His eyes grew comically wide when he realized that it was Draco he was chastising and praising. He reflexively jerked backwards, falling off the couch spluttering. No longer able to contain his mirth, Draco threw his head back and laughed. Harry stopped spluttering and stared at the clearly insane blonde wearily.

_I think that's the first time I've ever heard him legitimately laugh like that_.

"Er…" Hary began, awkwardly.

"Yes?" Draco lifted one eyebrow, gray eyes still sparkling with laughter.

"Not to be rude or anything, but… why the fuck were you sleeping with me?"

Draco smirked, deciding not to call Harry out on his interesting choice of words just yet.

"It's not my fault that you're rather… _handsy_ in your sleep, Harry."

"The fuck does that mean?" Harry's brow furrowed, and Draco had to resist the urge to hug him. Apparently, sleepy Harry is infinitely more adorable than normal.

"It means that I'm only here because you molested me in your sleep. You were having a nightmare, and I happened to be here, as this is _my_ dorm. So I tried to calm you down, and you fell asleep and wouldn't let go." Draco shrugged as if this was a normal, everyday occurrence. Harry, meanwhile, didn't know what to do with this. As Draco explained, Harry's memory slowly filled in the gaps. He remembered waking up in the middle of a particularly awful nightmare, only to be held and comforted by someone. He remembered waiting for Draco's derision, but that it had never come.

"So, I'm probably going to regret asking this, but why exactly aren't you mocking me and sharing my mental breakdown with half the school?"

Draco arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"Because I was trapped beneath you the whole night. Although trapped is a rather strong word, considering that I'd gladly take a repeat performance in a slightly different context."

"All right, Malfoy. Enough is enough. I don't know what you're playing at, but you've been weird all year. You're up to something, and I don't know what it is yet, but I'm on to you!"

Harry gratefully sank back into some semblance of normal, and seized the chance to go on the defensive. He stood up, now towering over Draco, who just reclined on the sofa as if he was going to enjoy the show. Harry opened his mouth to go on an angry tirade, but Draco beat him to it.

"How have I never noticed how adorable you are when you're angry?"

Harry stared at the blonde for a few seconds, thrown off once more. He blushed furiously.

"Have you stopped to consider that perhaps you aren't the only one who suffers from nightmares? We all went through the war, Harry. I just know what you were going through last night, and thought I could help. Apparently, it did help." He sighed dramatically before he went on. "And what does my chivalry get me? A rather ungrateful tongue-lashing from an adorably angry Gryffindor. There are so many more useful things you could be doing with that tongue, you know." Draco's eyes darkened as he allowed some of his thoughts to show on his face. Harry swallowed, unsure why he found the dark glint of Draco's lust-blown pupils so alluring.

"That. That, Malfoy, is what I'm talking about. You're being weird."

"For Merlin's sake, Potter. I'm not being weird, I'm _flirting_ with you. At this point, even a blind basilisk could tell you that!"

Draco stood up, now at the advantage since he was taller than Harry. The smaller boy unconsciously took a small step back when Draco got into his face.

"I have tried _everything_. I've been nothing but nice to you this year. When that didn't work, I tried getting your attention the usual way, tried bringing out that hot-headed impulsive passion in a fight by being snarky as fuck."

While he ranted, he slowly advanced on Harry, who in turn, backed up. The brunette kept bumping into furniture as he tried to blindly backpedal.

"I didn't imagine the relief I saw on your face when I rescued you from that filthy ginger slut's grabby hands in the corridor, nor did I imagine the anger you were trying to conceal. That wasn't aimed towards me, Potter. That was all for _her_. And then, when I tried to make your detentions less miserable, you got pissed off at me again. I can't win. If I'm nice to you, you freak out. And if I'm an asshole like I used to be, you get pissy with me. I haven't imagined all of the times when you stare when you think I'm not looking, or how you blush like a delicious fucking _virgin _whenever I fire off some innuendo. I can't handle it anymore, Harry. I'm tired of trying to guess how you're going to react. I'm tired of playing nice."

Harry jumped as he felt his shoulder touch the common room wall. He felt his heartbeat speed up when Draco didn't stop moving forward until he had the Gryffindor trapped against the wall, though in fear or longing, he wasn't quite sure anymore. Draco was so close that Harry could feel the blonde's harsh breath against his skin. Draco was carefully avoiding touching Harry; keeping his body mere centimeters from the smaller seeker's lightly muscled frame. But the slight distance made Harry all the more aware of the blonde. Draco's eyes drifted down to Harry's lips. The brunette tilted his head up slightly, and Draco smirked, leaning in.

But the kiss never came. Harry sagged against the wall, breathing hard, as the pop of apparition reached his ears. Draco was gone.

"Bloody hell." He sank to the floor and ran a hand through his already unruly hair. "He was going to kiss me. And I think I wanted him to."

With a groan, he let his head slam back against the wall, trying to knock some sense into himself.

_Bloody hell._

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**A/N: Bloody hell indeed :3 The plot thickens, along with several other... things. ;)**

**You know the drill. Please review! This is a super old story, and I hate it. So honestly tell me if you do too lol! I want to finish it for the sake of finishing it, and it'd be weird if half was awkward and the rest wasn't. So I'm trying to keep everything awkward without being unbearable.**


	8. Chapter Seven

**A/N: Hello, my lovelies! I'm thrilled that so many of you are enjoying this story! Here's the next chapter. I think we'll be bringing this story to a close soon!**

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**.:Chapter Seven:.**

Draco happily piled his plate high at breakfast the next morning while his house mates chatted around him. He surveyed his kingdom for a while. The Slytherins seemed happy. Pansy wasn't at breakfast yet, but that was normal. His eyes jumped over the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, because honestly, he could've cared less what they were up to this morning. Instead, his eyes were drawn to the Gryffindor table, and specifically, to one Gryffindor who was sitting rigidly, exuding a big black cloud of "Fuck you, go away, I'm angry." To anyone stupid enough to go within a few feet of him. Draco chuckled and looked back down at his food as Ron and Hermione joined their pissed off friend at the table.

_ The next move has to be his._ _I've known from the beginning that he would have to come to me if I wanted any chance of a real relationship with him. If I keep pressing him, he'll just get more flustered and accuse me of being a slimy Slytherin. Not that I'm __**not**__ a slimy Slytherin…_

He risked another glance, and nearly spit out his orange juice when he saw Harry glaring at him over his shoulder. He suppressed the urge to cough long enough to smirk and give the brunette a wiggly-fingered wave. When Harry turned around with a huff as he predicted, he allowed his tortured lungs their reprieve and coughed until his throat was raw.

"Merlin, Draco. You're starting to remind me of Weasley, with those table manners. Your drinks go in your stomach, not your lungs, dear." Pansy patted him on the back delicately, nose wrinkled in disgust.

_"Shut up, you bitch. Can't you see I'm DYING over here?"_

Or, at least, that's what Draco _wanted _to say, but he couldn't stop choking long enough to speak, so he just settled for glaring at the girl instead.

Harry turned back to his breakfast moodily. Hermione raised an eyebrow at his display.

"Something wrong?"

"How the fuck did he apparate? You can't apparate inside Hogwarts!" Harry frowned, pushing his eggs around on his plate.

"On the contrary, the Headmaster can. And the staff. And the head boy and girl… But that isn't supposed to be common knowledge, Harry. What happened?"

"Nothing happened, that's what." He stabbed a sausage link viciously, waging war on his eggs with it.

"Well of _course_ something had to have happened. You're current temper tantrum is enough to tell me that. Oh, stop it. What did those eggs ever do to you?"

"Just leave it, Hermione. _Nothing_ happened. I almost… I got into a fight with Malfoy, but the sneaky bastard fucking apparated away before anything could happen. It's fine. Leave it." Harry sighed, and finally surrendered his fork to the bushy haired girl. She continued to eye him speculatively, but he ignored her.

_Nothing happened. Nothing __**should**__ have happened. I didn't __**want**__ anything to happen._ _I __**definitely**__ didn't want him to kiss me._

Hermione hid her smile behind a piece of toast. Given Harry's current level of distraction and frustration, it hadn't been a fight that Draco had apparated away from.

_At least, not the kind of fight that Harry would have expected_. _Draco must have made a bold move, since Harry's daft as a door nail when it comes to these things._

As the week wore on, Hermione's deduction gained more credibility. Draco was in an uncharacteristically good mood, while Harry's frustration grew. It seemed as if the two were feeding off of each other's emotions - the more frustrated Harry appeared, the more Draco looked like the cat that got the cream. And every time that self-satisfied smirk drifted across Draco's lips, Harry would glower and get more ill-tempered. By Wednesday, Harry was parting crowds wherever he went - nobody wanted to bear his wrath. Rumors were flying around the castle as to what had the Golden Boy in such a mood, but nobody seemed to know anything.

Hermione decided to give Harry another little push in the right direction after they had all eaten dinner on Friday - or in Harry's case, glared at his plate until it had literally shattered under the force of his magic. Hermione grabbed Harry's arm when he tried to follow Ron to Gryffindor tower.

"Why don't you come back to my common room so we can talk about why there's a giant black cloud, complete with lightning bolts, following you around this week, hmm?"

She dragged him along, leaving no doubt that her question was actually an order. Harry looked to Ron for help, but Hermione's glare had the red head raising his hands in surrender and continuing on his way. When the corridor around them finally fell silent and everyone else had gone their separate ways, Hermione started poking.

"Honestly, Harry. I know that things got heated with Malfoy, but is that any excuse toact like a child?"

"What?" Harry's sudden change of demeanor was almost comical. His eyes went wide with panic. "How could you possibly know about that?"

Hermione schooled her expression into one of confusion.

"You told me so yourself at breakfast earlier this week. But since when does fighting with Malfoy bring out such a strong reaction? I thought things had been different this year, what with the truce and all."

Hermione could literally see Harry's heart rate slow down. He worked to calm down and answer her in a way that would keep his cover.

"You can stop that. There's no use keeping a cover that's already blown, stupid. Now then, I know that you and Draco didn't fight, at least not in the traditional sense. So why don't you tell me all the details, and I'll help you sort things out."

Harry sighed.

"Nothing gets past you, does it."

When they stopped at the portrait and Hermione started to give the password, Harry suddenly slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Hermione, you live with Malfoy."

"Yes?"

"… And maybe I don't want to see him just now."

Hermione rolled her eyes and finished the password, pushing the portrait open.

"Draco will be gone for hours. He has a double patrol tonight."

Harry cautiously followed her into the common room, both relieved and disheartened by the fact that Draco wouldn't be there. He flopped down onto one of the couches and threw his arm over his eyes.

"Fuck my life, Hermione. Everything's a mess."

"Well, good thing I'm here then. I'm fantastic at sorting out messes. Speak."

As Harry haltingly recalled waking up to Draco after his nightmare, Hermione focused more on his movements and body language than the words he was saying. When he got to the fight, however, she stopped taking mental notes and listened carefully.

"He was just… acting all _weird_ again. I hadn't realized it before, but I think he, I dunno, _fancies_ me or something. He literally told me he wanted me."

"What's so wrong with that?"

"It's just… It's _Malfoy_, Hermione! I'm supposed to hate him, not want him! When he started ranting at me, and very clearly spelled out exactly why he's been acting weird, he… I thought he was going to kiss me. He had me backed into a corner - literally, mind you - and I swear to Merlin that it was going to happen. And what did I do? I didn't panic, or scream, or bloody _hit_ him, no. I _wanted_ it. I tilted my head _towards_ him. And then the fucker apparated away! What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?!"

Hermione was surprised at how easily Harry had opened up once he started talking, but it made her job much easier so she wasn't going to complain.

"Well. Are you upset that he wants you, or upset that you want him too?"

"Both! Neither! I don't know. It's not fair. Here I am, having this earth shattering realization that I want Draco Malfoy to shove his tongue down my throat while he's cozied up to me against a wall, and then he just pops off and leaves me a hot mess. And what's worse is that I've lost every shred of denial I'd been shielding myself with all week. Oh my god, Hermione! I want Draco Malfoy."

"So what's the problem? He clearly wants you as well."

"Does he, though? How can I trust him? After everything, how do I know he isn't just messing with me?"

"Oh, Harry…" Hermione frowned. She wanted to reassure Harry, but didn't know how without spilling the meaning of Draco's gift, which wasn't her place. "I guess there's nothing for it but to talk to Draco."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. I'll not have you stomping around terrifying first years when things start exploding around you again. The plate at dinner was the last straw. Draco will be back in an hour. I'll let you decide if you'll speak to him tonight, but I hope you realize I won't let you procrastinate for long if you choose to wait."

"I know you won't." Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No, I suppose I should do it tonight then. If I wait I'll never manage it."

"Good boy." Hermione patted him on the arm and got up. "I'll give you boys some privacy then. If you need me, I'll be staying the night in Gryffindor with Ginny."

The portrait closed behind the Gryffindor girl and Harry got up and walked over to a chair closer to the fireplace.

_Bloody girl is too smart for my own good._

He watched the fire dance in the hearth, trying to figure out what to say to Draco when he arrived.

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**Oh man, looks like confrontation is coming in the next chapter! ;) **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! If so, review. If not, review. I want your opinions, regardless of what they are. Useless flames will be used to light the Head's common room fireplace though - constructive reviews only please! :)**

**~Arya Rose**


	9. Chapter Eight

_**A/N: Hi everyone! Rather than study for finals, I decided to procrastinate and work on chapters eight and nine. I can't believe how many great reviews this story has gotten! Thank you all :) **_

_**I'd like to point out two things: First, one reviewer caught that sometimes there aren't any spaces between words where it doesn't make sense. This is just because my spacebar is partially broken. The other note I'd like to make is that I'm literally writing this story as I go. I lost the plot outline ages ago, and had no idea where this story was going. So I can't say for sure how much longer it'll be, but I know I'm going to try to wrap it up within the next chapter or so. As of right now, there will be an epilogue.**_

_**Special thanks to semi-anonymous reviewer Rae! Your glowing reviews always make me smile (and boost my ego)!**_

_**Also, thank you to TLcatlady, whose review inspired the way this chapter ends ;)**_

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_**.:Chapter Eight:.**_

Draco strolled down a side corridor, lazily alert for anyone out after curfew. To the casual observer, were there any present in the halls this late at night, Draco would appear engaged in his search for rule breakers. However, internally, his thoughts were far from the dark and empty corridors he patrolled.

_I wonder how long it will take Harry to come to me…_ _Based upon his little displays all week, I dare say it won't be long now. _

Alone in the corridor, he allowed himself the rare opportunity to show some genuine outward emotion. He grinned happily, idly twirling his wand between his fingers.

_At least, I hope it won't be long. Merlin, I can feel his magic in the strangest places, thanks to his outbursts! It's so addictive._

Draco's grin grew ever wider as he remembered walking into a fourth floor bathroom earlier that same day.

**_-Flashback-_**

**_He stopped mid-stride, startled by the intensity of the magic that washed over him. In a school for wizards and witches, this shouldn't seem too strange. But ordinary witches and wizards didn't leave such strong clouds of energy behind after they'd casted. No, that was a unique attribute of Harry Potter's pure magical strength. But this? Draco had nearly trembled at the magic sizzling around him. He could feel the places where it was most concentrated, and laughed as he realized that it was near the mirrors. _**

-end of flashback-

This time, Draco _did_ tremble as he came back to the present.

_The prat must have shattered them by accident. Merlin, to wield power like that… So strong that it reacts uncontrollably to your emotions…_

Draco couldn't help but imagine that magic used in other, more… _interesting_ ways. He quickly shook his head and tried to think of something else. Even with billowing robes around him, it wouldn't be a great idea to finish his patrol with a raging boner.

He cast a quick tempus charm, curious as to how much longer he would need to pace through the corridors, pretending not to see the amorous lovers that were sometimes hidden behind statues and in alcoves. He made to roll his eyes -

_Seriously, do we have magic or not? How hard is it to cast a simple silencing charm? Or to just use an abandoned classroom, for Merlin's sake? Even a muggle could do that!_

- but then they widened in surprise. It was already two in the morning. He had been wandering for an hour past the end of his shift!

_That's what I get for letting my mind wander._

He turned abruptly, and headed back towards his common room. He let his feet do all the work while he internally debated the merits of working or sleeping.

_I do have that stupid charms essay due on Tuesday… I should probably get to work on that because the Transfiguration project McGonnagal assigned will take a good portion of the day Sunday to finish… Or I could just go to sleep and get up early tomorrow to work on everything._

He sighed, not really sure what to do. He wasn't particularly tired, but it _was_ 2am, and he should probably go to sleep.

_Oh, the curse of being a night owl… I suppose I should at least work on something for an hour. Then I can sleep in tomorrow. Or I could just finish the Transfigurations project, since I'm only a few inches away from finishing the essay that goes with it, anyway…_

He absently muttered the password and pushed the portrait open. He summoned his Transfiguration book from his room and made his way to the kitchen, shedding his heavy black robe and throwing it on the counter. He poked and prodded the annoying muggle devices that Hermione insisted upon having until a suitable cup of hot chocolate appeared, grabbed his book and robe, and made his way over to the fireplace to curl up on the couch and work. A few feet away from his favorite couch, he stopped suddenly, nearly spilling his hot chocolate.

_… Or Harry Potter could be asleep on my sofa. Again._

He cocked his head, curiously taking in the brunette's appearance. He was haphazardly propped up with one arm on the couch arm supporting his head of unruly hair, and his legs were curled up beneath him. His lips were open ever so slightly, and Draco had to suppress a groan at the tempting sight.

_He was waiting for me to come back. There's only so much I can handle. I'm only a wizard, after all_.

Draco quietly set down his things on a side table, and then crept towards the brunette. He knelt beside the Gryffindor leaned in close. He gently nibbled on Harry's ear as he purred his name. Harry barely stirred, but Draco swore that he heard a quiet breathy moan that sounded suspiciously like his name. He smirked as he went back to work, leaving his ear alone and venturing down Harry's neck, leaving bite-y little kisses along the way.

At some point, Harry must have awoken, because he tilted his head back and used the hand that was previously keeping his face from hitting the couch to run his fingers through Draco's hair. Draco smirked as he waited for the other boy to fully wake up and panic. He wasn't disappointed, as a few seconds later, Harry went rigid. Draco ignored him, and kept showering a spot at the base of Harry's neck that he had bitten particularly hard with wet, open-mouthed kisses.

"D-Draco?" Harry half moaned. Draco felt his cock twitch in interest at the deep tone of Harry's voice.

_Yes, sleepy aroused Harry is absolutely delicious. I must get him like this more often._

The blonde sighed as Harry backed away, nearly falling off the front of the couch. He climbed up on the arm of the couch and sat regally while he stared at Harry with one eyebrow arched in question.

Harry had to clear his throat several times, and blink a lot (which Draco _absolutely_ did _not_ find adorable) before he was awake enough to function.

"Draco. You're back."

"Yes, Potter, I've returned to _my_ common room after a long patrol. How interesting that you chose the word _back_. It implies that you were expecting me - nay, _waiting _for me." He lowered his eyes and shot Harry his best bedroom eyes.

"Yeah, um, about that." Harry licked his lips and then suddenly seemed to realize what had been going on a moment ago. "Merlin, did you _bite_ me?!" A strong hand flew to his neck, and he nearly moaned at the slight tingling pain he felt when he brushed against the bruise that was already forming.

"I may have. But that's your own fault. You should've learned by now that if you fall asleep on my couch, you're subject to any and all molestations that I may want to perform at the time."

"That… What?" He shook his head and glared at the smirking blonde. "Look, about last week -"

"Ah, yes. I was just wondering how long it would take you to come to me." The intensity of the Draco gave him made Harry's mouth go dry and his cock twitch with longing. The blonde wasn't even trying to disguise the lust in his silver eyes.

"I… that is to say, um. What exactly were you playing at? Were you just messing with me? Yet another plan to humiliate your rival? Because if it was a joke, it's not funny at all, and you're just as culpable as I am, should the details get out to - er…"

Draco had climbed across the sofa while Harry was stuttering out his question, until the brunette felt the need to back away. He panicked for a moment when he felt the far arm of the couch against his back, before realizing that he honestly had no reason to retreat, unless Draco validated his concerns and told him it was all a big prank to humiliate him. The blonde drew closer, until he was nearly on top of Harry, his arms supporting his weight and keeping them from actually touching.

"It was no joke, Harry. I'm well beyond using all of those petty pranks and insults to try and gain your attention. I'm tired of being on the receiving end of your glares - though the passion behind them was undeniably hot. No, I've rather decided that I'd like a different type of heat to be behind those brilliant green eyes when you look at me. I want you, and before you go all Hufflepuff on me, yes, I definitely mean more than once, hopefully several different ways, and _exclusively. _If I'm going to… how did you put it? _Mess with you_, I'd much prefer that we mess around in other, more constructive ways."

He took a chance and let his hips fall to meet Harry's. He moaned as his cock met an answering hardness, but Harry swallowed the sound when he grabbed the back of Draco's head and pulled him down into a fiery kiss. Draco's arms gave out and he let his full weight rest on the glorious seeker's body beneath him. Draco whimpered as Harry took control, wasting no time with the chaste press of lips and letting his tongue explore every inch of Draco's mouth. Stunned by the ferocity, but unwilling to yield just yet, he pulled away to take a breath and to change their position. Harry's lips followed his as he tried to pull away, and he smiled, letting their lips meet briefly one more time before fully backing away. They were both panting, and Harry's eyes now mirrored the lust that Draco knew was openly displayed in his own.

Harry rolled his hips beneath Draco, who arched his back in pleasure, meeting the Gryffindor's thrusts.

"_Fuck_. What - What do you want, Harry?"

"I need you." He sat up and brought his lips down to meet the pale column of Draco's neck. Draco wrapped one arm around Harry's torso while the other found its way into Harry's hair. "Bed. Now."

Somehow, they managed to stand up without breaking contact. They stumbled past the couch, only stopping once when Harry knocked his knee against the side of an end table. Draco chuckled as he cursed, swallowing Harry's pained utterances in yet another kiss.

When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Draco almost tripped. He hadn't been expecting the stairs to pop up quite yet, and was a bit distracted by the wicked things Harry's mouth was doing.

"Mine_." _Draco felt more than heard Harry's declaration, and moaned his agreement when Harry bit down not-so-gently on the sensitive bit of skin between his neck and shoulder. Harry continued to claim the soft skin, alternating hot kisses and the delicious pain of teeth.

"Harry, _oh merlin_ - stop. I need to- _fuck!_ We'll never make it up the stairs like this." With one last nip at Draco's jaw, Harry finally pulled back to admire his handy work. A line of rather impressive red marks littered the blonde's otherwise flawless skin.

He smirked at the Slytherin, who was breathing quite heavily, before grabbing his hand and pulling him up the stairs. When they reached the top, Harry grabbed the blonde's hips, lifting him until his long legs had no choice but to wrap around the Gryffindor's waist. Draco moaned when Harry slammed him up against the wall next to his bedroom door and kissed him soundly.

_At this rate, we won't make it to my bed…_

Draco frowned and turned his head away from the kiss. Harry looked at him, confused, when suddenly Draco disapparated out of his arms with a pop.

"_Draco fucking Malfoy_ -"

* * *

_**A/N: That's it for this chapter ;) I know, I'm cruel!**_

_**You know the drill! If you guys drown me in reviews, I may just be tempted to work on this chapter now instead of studying some more now, and starting the chapter next weekend, like I should do ;)**_

_**Much love,**_

_**Arya Rose**_


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